Trust in Her
by LuxaLovesLawnmowers
Summary: Ino had never expected to fall in love with a man like him. He was hard where she was soft. Ibiki Morino was a scary man who did shocking things, but none were more shocking than this.


Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto.

A short Ino and Ibiki oneshot. I think there's one with the same basic premise, but it's radically different in other ways.

Enjoy! :)

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Out of all the men Ino had thought she'd fall in love with, he wasn't one of them. She'd always gone for slim, pretty boys who emanated an aura that just screamed for you to love them. He certainly wasn't that.

After Sasuke had gone, she could see herself falling for Shikamaru or Neji, someone like that. But he wasn't anything like them.

He was huge, a veritable giant of a man. She had liked men closer to her own size. He was arrogant, one of the few things he shared with her pretty boys of old. However, he radiated it on purpose to scare people, to make them turn away from him. She wasn't fooled, though, not when she'd worked with him so long.

He was much older than her bishonen. He was more secure financially, more set in his ways, and much scarier. He was insecure about his looks, although you'd never know it from the way he acted. He was good at his job and he knew it. He was unbearably masculine and smelled like everything a stereotypical love interest should, and Ino found herself thinking about him and the oddest moments, such as when she was about to take a bath, or when she was fighting a battle with the annoying ex-water ninja that just wouldn't go down.

So when Ibiki Morino said he was retiring, she was shocked, scared and more than a little sad. When she asked why, he gave the longest sigh she'd ever heard, one that ached with pain. And she ached with him, even though she didn't know why.

"I'm too old for this." It was the only explanation he was willing to give.

"You're not even forty." protested Ino.

"Practically ancient for a ninja." replied Ibiki, standing at his desk. It was his last day, and with no prisoners to interrogate, he wasn't sure what to do. Everything in his office belonged to Konoha. At most he'd have to bring his old water bottle home.

Ino's temper flared. "So what are you saying about my dad?"

"I should amend my statement. I'm too old for T&I."

"Bullshit."

Ino instantly regretted saying it, because Ibiki did not react kindly. His nostrils flared and his mouth tightened. "Do you think you know my own limits better than I?"

"No, I just…I don't want you to leave." confessed Ino.

If Ibiki was surprised, he didn't show it. "You work in a different part of this division. We hardly see each other."

"Yeah, a division _you_ run." she retorted. How could she tell him that every time he showed up to watch her and her father mind-read someone, every time he demanded a report from her, every time she passed him in the hall, her heart thumped painfully in her chest. For such a great people-reader, he was blind in regards to her.

"A division I used to run." he amended.

Ino balled her fists. "How you think you're at your limit? You're the best T&I head Konoha's ever had! You've been here twice as long as anyone else!"

"That's the problem," he said icily. "Do you want me to break? Do you want me to commit suicide? Do you want me to drink myself to death? Because if that's your goal, by all means, I'll stay."

Ino gaped. His words were like a slap. Was he really that affected by everything that happened here? Did it really hurt him that much? As if he knew what she was thinking, his eyes narrowed. His voice was much quieter now, and it scared Ino to think how defeated he sounded.

"Do you really think I have that little humanity left as to want to spend the rest of my life here?" he asked softly.

And before she knew it, she had her arms wrapped around the much taller man, trying to tell him everything without words, squeezing him tightly enough to knock the breath out of him, reaching up and pressing her lips to his. She wanted him to know how much she cared for him, how much she depended on him in her life daily for it to have some sense of stability. He was her rock and she needed him. She didn't care about his scars, she didn't care about the pain he carried with him. Her former vainty was gone now, replace with an earnest desire to have him let someone into his life. And even as he embraced her back, somewhere inside he smirked.

He was right. Retirement would be good for him.

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Review! Review my ponies!


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